Kent Bush: Perspective is a tough teacher

Kent Bush

Monday

Aug 29, 2011 at 12:01 AMAug 29, 2011 at 4:16 AM

Acuff called that the one sentence that proves you’re a leader. I couldn’t agree more. Many who commented on his post noted the influence from Ziglar. Few thought back to that verse in Matthew when Jesus taught that real leaders were those who serve others.

It’s sad how quickly tunnel vision can affect us when stress levels increase.

It seems like this week has been full of opportunities for me to learn. I really hate being introspective because I usually just end up disappointed in the person I am.

Seriously, I’m 40 years old. I should know a lot more by now.
Last weekend, I learned a lesson when I was supposed to be teaching a lesson.

When our regular Sunday school teachers aren’t available, we have a great substitute. When he isn’t available, sometimes they ask me. I don’t know why, but I love to do it.

It is a long way from my comfort zone. Typically, I don’t like drawing attention to myself. I really like the challenge of studying a topic well enough to be able to present it and feel competent enough to ask and answer questions.

Sunday was promotion day –– when children celebrate the start of a new year in a new class. Parents like to go to the promotion ceremony.
Our class has a lot of promoting children, so we suspended regular classes and they asked me to teach those who were able to come to class.

I thought I was ready. We only had three people show up. Rather than offer private lessons, we decided to pursue other adventures. I went in to the promotion ceremony where I found my son sitting by himself in the front row while the other children had at least one parent with them.

The lack of a class let me sit with my son and keep him from feeling like he was on an island. After the ceremony, I got to help put up chairs and tables. When we headed back toward the sanctuary for church, we ran into others setting up a room for a reception after church.

I got to help set up chairs and tables for that reception. I caught myself thinking I was supposed to teach today but ended up setting up and taking down chairs all morning. I wondered to myself if I hadn’t been more use folding chairs than teaching? The answer is pretty clear. I don’t know that anyone is overly enlightened when I teach, but I’m pretty good on the business end of a folding chair.

I couldn’t help but recall a Bible verse that I had come cross while preparing to teach that day. Matthew retold a story about Jesus talking to two of the apostles’ mother. She wanted Jesus to let her sons have authority in his new movement. He told her they didn’t want to have the same fate that was awaiting him. Then he told the woman how the two men could become great.

In Matthew 20: 25-26, he told the brothers, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant.”

After church, I started getting ready for another stressful week of work. Things have been less than ideal lately. Change is always tough. Some changes are tougher than others. Lately, we’ve been pushing the limits of how tough things can be. We’ve been incredibly busy, and it seems like we have been facing a lot of problems that were not our fault but had to be faced head-on nonetheless.

Finding solutions has required a lot of extra hours in the office, and it has kept me awake at night trying to think of solutions. When I am feeling stress, my family sees it. So my wife sent me a Bible verse, as she is prone to do.

It was so perfect for what I was going through that I posted it on Facebook. In Psalms 94:18-19, David wrote, “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”

A few friends commented. One friend said the verse helped bring her peace. You see, her brother was in surgery having a tumor removed from his pancreas. My heart sank. I don’t have problems. I am having to work hard and things aren’t perfect. While I wear out my crying towel with my little problems, other people are hoping to come through surgery in good health. Perspective is a tough teacher.

And then I read a post by one of my favorite writers. Jon Acuff wrote the book –– and blog –– called “Stuff Christians Like.” He is funny and has a knack for bringing another type of perspective.

He had been spending some time with Zig Ziglar, and it had an impact. Acuff said he finally figured out what it meant to be a leader. He was going to have a meeting with someone, and instead of thinking of what he could get out of the meeting, he found himself thinking about what he could give to his fellow public speaker.

Acuff called that the one sentence that proves you’re a leader. I couldn’t agree more. Many who commented on his post noted the influence from Ziglar. Few thought back to that verse in Matthew when Jesus taught that real leaders were those who serve others.

The problem with gaining wisdom from experience is you learn how much you have overestimated your intelligence previously. If I live long enough, someday I may know almost as much as I thought I did when I was 25. It will take a while, but at least I have a chance.

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